Smoke? Again?!
The hazy skies and smoky smell is back — a today-annual sign of summer — as Canadian wildfire smoke drifts into our region.
With some of the smoke getting close to the ground on Monday, an “Air Quality Alert” was issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for sensitive groups — including those with lung or heart disease, asthma, older adults, and children.
So how long will the wildfire smoke stick around the area?
According to the National Weather Service, wildfire smoke is expected to linger into Tuesday, but it may not be as noticeable with cloudier skies.
“Based on the models we use, it looks like we could see improvement by Tuesday afternoon,” Rob Megnia, meteorologist at the NWS Boston office, told the Herald.
“By Wednesday, things might be clearing up, barring any additional smoke from the wildfires,” he added.
The near-surface smoke could dissipate by then, while the sky might still be hazy.
People should monitor any air quality alerts, especially for those in higher risk groups.
“Fine particles look to average in the mid to upper Moderate range due to Canadian wildfire smoke with the potential for some hourly concentrations reaching Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups on a short-term basis,” reads the Tuesday forecast from MassDEP.
“Ozone should average along the upper Good to mid Moderate range,” the state agency adds. “The highest concentrations are expected to be in western MA for both pollutants.”
The smoke is coming from hundreds of fires happening in Canada and particularly in Manitoba, said Albert Simeoni, a professor and head of the department of fire protection engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
“Smoke takes quite some time to dissipate, and the wind patterns seem to be established for today, so we should expect to have the smoke for a few more days,” Simeoni said.
The wildfire smoke includes particulates in suspension in air, which are soot particles. They are invisible products of combustion generated by large and numerous fires.
“They penetrate your system through your lungs,” Simeoni said. “There are also gases generated such as ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and diverse aromatic compounds but the particulates are the main risk, and they travel far. All these particulates and gases have health effects.”
The most exposed populations at risk are older adults, babies, and people with allergies or asthma.
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